Name of Object:

Location:

Holding Museum:

Date:

Type of object:

Museum Inventory Number:

1981.7-7.2

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Gold with inset enamel.

Dimensions:

Width 2.1 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Fatimid

Provenance:

Egypt.

Description:

A gold crescent-shaped pendant with enamel work. Two bands of delicate gold filigree work surround a panel of cloisonné enamel with a symmetrical design of two birds arranged on either side of a tree. The pendant may have been hung with strings of pearls from the three loops along the bottom. The enamel inset imitates Byzantine designs. Gold jewellery from Byzantium was known in Fatimid Egypt originating either from Byzantine craftsmen who immigrated to Egypt or through diplomatic gifts sent by Byzantine rulers. In 1046 the Fatimid Caliph al-Mustansir (r.1036–94) received a large gift from the Emperor of Byzantium which included hundreds of gold vessels, brocade and gold-embroidered turbans. This exchange of diplomatic gifts is recorded in The Book of Treasures and Gifts, by Ibn Zubayr, written just before the destruction and dispersal of the Fatimid treasury in 1062.

Gold jewellery with delicate filigree work was popular during the Fatimid period. Some pieces, such as this pendant, also feature enamel work derived from Byzantine designs. The Fatimid treasury is known to have accumulated a vast hoard of gold objects that included jewellery.

How date and origin were established:

The pendant resembles other gold jewellery from the Fatimid era; generally small in size and often decorated with filigree work, cloisonné enamel, or niello. From the mid-11th century figurative elements began to appear, such as birds. The dating of Fatimid jewellery has been derived from excavations in a number of sites, including that at Fustat in Cairo.

How Object was obtained:

Purchased by the British Museum in 1981.

How provenance was established:

The Fatimids were renowned for their rich splendid jewellery. Most of the workmanship would have taken place in Egypt, the political centre of the Fatimid dynasty.

Selected bibliography:

Al-Hijjawi al-Qaddumi, G. (ed.), Book of Gifts and Rarities (Kitab al-hadaya wa al-tuhaf'): Selections compiled in the fifteenth century from an eleventh-century manuscript on gifts and treasures, Harvard University Press, 1996, pp.108–9.